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New EHang Aircraft Order, Ops
  • 28 Feb 2022 02:33 PM
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New EHang Aircraft Order, Ops

Two customers in Japan placed orders for EHang aircraft in December and January, according to statements by the company. EHang announced on Dec. 23 that it had received the inaugural order for its winged VT-30 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) from Japan’s Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group (MASC). EHang and MASC have collaborated on a series of demonstration flights of the EH216 multicopter in Japan, including a flight on Dec. 23 at Kasaoka Air Station in Okayama prefecture (shown). According to EHang, the two-seat VT-30, which the company unveiled in May 2021, can fly up to 187 miles (300 km), which is more than eight times the range of the EH216.

Then, on Jan. 20, EHang revealed that it had received a preorder for 50 units of the EH216 AAV from AirX, an air mobility company based in Tokyo. According to EHang, the pre-order will facilitate various urban air mobility (UAM) projects in Japan and could be the basis for air mobility services for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. AirX offers customers a helicopter booking platform that provides booking services for charter flights and more than 100 helicopter sightseeing routes in the country. The news represents the largest order for EHang aircraft by a customer in Japan.

EHang eVTOL operations in Asia are also on the rise. In December, police in Indonesia deployed an EH216 to support emergency personnel following the eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano on Dec. 4. The aircraft arrived in Lumajang province on Dec. 14 and provided surveillance capabilities before it returned to Jakarta on Jan. 12.

Meanwhile, in a ribbon cutting on Dec. 29, EHang opened the 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center in Guangzhou, where the eVTOL developer is based. Located at the Innovation Park in Huangpu District, the Experience Center is a collaboration between EHang and the Guangzhou Development District Communications Investment Group (GDDCI) and is part of EHang’s 100 Air Mobility Routes Initiative. The Experience Center, which spans 21,500 ft² (2,000 m²), features a rooftop vertiport and hangar for aircraft charging and maintenance.

The facility will serve as a base for further test and evaluation of the EH216 and Falcon B quadcopter UAV, as well as a hub for planned flight routes within Guangzhou for aerial sightseeing and logistics.

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